


In His Own Words...

by fawatson



Series: Six Word Novels Challenge [1]
Category: RENAULT Mary - Works
Genre: Gen, ITOWverse, Metafiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-12
Updated: 2009-02-12
Packaged: 2018-05-22 08:57:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6073165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fawatson/pseuds/fawatson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the reading room at the clubhouse, Alexander and Hephaistion observe the members of the community write their six-word summaries of Renault's novels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In His Own Words...

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written as a commentary on the [Six Word Novel Challenge](http://maryrenaultfics.livejournal.com/251581.html) that was posted to the Maryrenaultfics LiveJournal community on 9 February 2009. Members [posted numerous six-word reductions](http://maryrenaultfics.livejournal.com/251707.html) of Renault's novels.

Hephaistion looked into the reading room.   _There_ he was.  It was a cold clear night at the Mary Renault community house.  The room had been full a couple of days ago, bustling with activity as moderators and community members chattered to one another and posted back and forth, laughing and talking excitedly, arguing their points.  It was empty now, save for one person.  The embers of a fire in the grate glowed red within grey ash but provided little heat; the air was chill.

“Alexander, what are you doing?”

Alexander twisted round.  There was a strained look to his face, as he gestured Hephaistion to join him.

“Look at what they’re doing now.”

“Doing?  You know what they’re doing:  Gadrosia.  Next it will be the desecration of Kyros’ tomb and punishment of Orxines.

“No, they seem to have pretty much finished that.”

“Really?”  Hephaistion peered over Alexander’s shoulder. 

“Hmm, over fifty comments.   _That’s_ more like it.  I was a bit disappointed with their response to your Mallian campaign.  It’s one time I agreed completely with Bagoas:  you’d have thought if they _really_ cared about you, they’d have paid more attention to your chest wound.  Huh!  What cheek!  Water, water, indeed.   _They_ weren’t there.  Yes, I see why you’re concerned.”

“That’s not it.  Look, here…”

“Oh … how peculiar … six words….  I hardly think they’d do you justice in six words.”

“Look at all the words that have been cut.”

There was a stunned pause, before Hephaistion offered, “I don’t think they realise we can see them, or that we can read what they _don’t_ post, as well as what they _do_.  It is a bit of a shock, though.

“Especially after Yuletide.”

“Oshun did us proud, didn’t she?  Not _completely_ accurate in every detail, but all in all, a very nice account.”

A slight fluttering disturbed the still air. 

“What was that?”

“Wait, just a moment.”  Alexander’s voice was grim.  “There….  That happens every time one of them cuts a few more words.  They can’t see them, their murdered word children.  Only we can.”

“ _The Persian Boy_ :  He came, he saw, he conquered.”  Hephaistion read out the glowing words that had just appeared, suspended in the ether before them.  “You know, that’s not bad.  I wonder why they cut it?”

Alexander shook his head slightly, before gesturing at another phrase hanging in a dark corner of the room.  Its glow was dim, life ebbing the longer it had been cut. 

“ _The Iliad_ :  Long war, heroes died, tricked enemy.”  Hephaistion read slowly, as if somehow his speech could make the book longer.

They looked at each other, their appalled expressions identical. 

“Best not let Simonides see _that_.”

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. The line, _“Doing? You know what they’re doing: Gadrosia. Next it will be the desecration of Kyros’ tomb and punishment of Orxines,"_ refers to the chapter-by-chapter discussion of _The Persian Boy_ that was on-going at Maryrenaultfics at the time this story was posted.
> 
> 2\. The line, _"Oshun did us proud, didn’t she?",_ refers to the story, ["To Swear at Troy"](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/yuletide2008/works/1642766), which was written by Oshun for Yuletide 2008.


End file.
